The danger of over celebrating a celebrity...
We all love famous people. Yes we all do, they are famous for a few reasons - either they are handsome, pretty, talented, rich or influential in one way or the others. We all have famous people we admire, we call them celebrities. They are either actresses, actors, singers/songwriters or directors. We have famous singers and songwriters both in the secular as well as the religious (Christian) sector. Is there anything wrong with them? No absolutely not. Is there anything wrong with them being famous or popular? No of course not. Is there anything wrong with celebrating them and their success? Why of course not… Than why I'm talking about it? There is absolutely nothing wrong with them being famous or popular nor is there anything wrong with celebrating them and their success, but it becomes a different issue altogether when we start to idolise them. This can become very tricky in the Christian music industry as compared to the secular ones.
Why am I talking about it? Well, it is because we can subtly fall into the trap of idolising these Christian artistes without us realising it. Why subtle, because the line is very thin and we can cross it without realising it. Is it possible you ask? Yes, it is. How do I know? Well, it is because I personally have fallen into a trap which took me years to get out of. I didn't even realised my sin until I was convicted by the Holy Spirit that I've made my subject of adoration into an idol!
There are many famous and influential Christian celebrities be it band or individual - Kari Jobe, Hillsong, Planet Shakers, Bob Fitts, Chris Tomlin, Michael W Smith, Paul Baloche, Darlene Zschech and Israel Houston just to name a few and my personal favourites Don Moen and Lenny LeBlanc…. What are the roles of these people? They are called to lead worship and bring us into God's presence…
We all love them! And there's nothing wrong with loving them, but it becomes wrong when we over celebrate them to the point we lose our focus on Jesus… They go from town to town bringing their band along to sing and lead worship… We all enjoy their presence, singing their songs and worshipping God together with them. But when does a concert intended for us to worship God becomes just another performance we enjoy watching? That line is very thin, and we do not know when we might accidently cross it.
I'm not saying this because I'm against anyone. No, that's not true, in fact I have my own favourites that I look forward to meeting them when they come to my country. But like I've mentioned the line that divides a worship meeting from just another artiste performing their songs is very thin. We just ought to be very careful how we treat this, because we are not careful, we might end up worshipping the worship leader instead of the Lord whom the leader is leading us to worship. I personally have crossed this line many years ago, and it took me as many years later to finally get out of the pit. So is it the fault of the worship leader? No it is not! Don't be mistaken, the fault lies not with them, but with us! Our focus is out of whack! At least mine was! I still adore and love my favourite singers, (who are now my friends) but at least now I'm more careful that I don't treat them (one of them) like an idol like I used to. But the transition from dethroning my idol to become a status of a friend is hard, I sometimes still struggle to find the balance of trying to maintain a healthy friendship with him without trying to become overly obsessive in getting him to reciprocate it. I still fail at times.
I give this warning to all so that you do not fall into the same trap as me… Let me be very clear that I am not against any celebrities, I'm not even saying that my favourite artiste (whose identity I shall not reveal), is the one who caused me to stumble. I repeat again that it wasn't anyone's fault, not his, just mine! These awesome favourite artiste of mine has done a lot of good to me, their music has ministered so much to me, they have encouraged me on a very personal level, I had the privilege of meeting them a few times, I send them cards on every special occasions such as birthdays, wedding anniversary, Thanksgiving and Christmas and we correspond with each other over emails (I do most of the sending). I am personally very grateful to these wonderful people whom God has placed in my life, I'm so thankful our paths have crossed, I love them and I'm so thankful I can call them my friends! They will always have a special place in my heart that no one else can replace, yet God is still over them and I cannot allow them to take over the place of honour and adoration that only Jesus rightfully deserves. And I ought to be careful not to let them become an idol!
So let's get back to the point. Is it wrong to be famous? No, there isn't. Is there anything wrong with liking and celebrating them and their success? No, but we must be careful with way we treat them. We thank God for the works they do, we celebrate their success in ministry, we enjoy their songs, we attend their concerts and all these are purely neutral and fine as long as we know when and how to draw the line and not let them become the object of our adoration instead of Christ!
Disclaimer: I respect and honor every Christian celebrity and this blog is not intended to belittle anyone. If any one is offended by my blog, please accept my most sincere apology!
Serving with you in His Kingdom with love;
Princess Michelle -
Beloved Daughter of the Most High King
Princess Michelle -
Beloved Daughter of the Most High King
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